Tamiya Corporation

Infobox Company
company_name = Tamiya Incorporated
company_
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company_type = Private
genre =
foundation = 1946
founder = Yoshio Tamiya
location_city = Shizouka
location_country = Japan
location =
origins = test
key_people = Masayuki Tamiya, President
area_served =
industry = Research and Development, Manufacturing, Sales and Promotion
products = Plastic Model Kits, Radio Control Model Kits, Educational Construction Kits
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
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divisions =
subsid =
owner =
company_slogan = First in Quality Around the World
homepage = http://www.tamiya.com/english/e-home.htm
dissolved =
footnotes = nihongo|Tamiya Incorporated|株式会社タミヤ|Kabushiki gaisha Tamiya is a Japanese manufacturer of plastic model kits, radio controlled cars, battery- and solar-powered educational models, sailboat models, acrylic and enamel model paints, and various modeling tools and supplies. The company was founded by Yoshio Tamiya in Shizuoka, Japan in 1946 .

The metal models were produced from plans which had the concept of being "easy to understand and build, even for beginners." Even the box art was consistent with this throughout the company. It had the best developing power in Japan. In the same vein as everybody being able to build the models, they made the parts accurate and with a high degree of detail.

The company has gained a reputation among hobbyists of producing models of outstanding quality and accurate scale detail, a philosophy reflected directly on the company’s logo “First in Quality Around the World” as well as winning on a regular basis each year, the prestigious "Modell des Jahres" (Model of the Year) award, hosted by the German magazine Model Fan.

Entrance of plastic models

The company was founded in 1946 as a sawmill and lumber company by Yoshio Tamiya (田宮 義雄), which it was then known as Tamiya Shoji & Co. (Tamiya Company) (田宮商事) [The written by Shunsaku Tamiya "people who made Tamiya Plastic Model" Bungeishunju Ltd. September, 2004 publication ISBN 4163662502] in Oshika, Shizuoka City. With the high availability of wood, the Mokuzaigyou Company's (木材業会社) wood products division (founded 1947) mainly produced wooden models of ships and airplanes. In 1953, as this became the foundation of the company, they stopped the sale of architectural lumber and focused solely on making models.

In the mid 1950s, foreign made plastic models were beginning to be imported and wooden model sales were decreasing, so in 1959 they decided to manufacture plastic models. Their first model was the Yamato. However, Tamiya's predecessors had sold Yamato models at 350 yen. By competing, Tamiya was at risk to get into the red by setting their price the same. However, they couldn't recover the cost of producing metal molds, so once again, they changed their products to wooden models, but at that time the model trade's tide was turning toward plastic models.

Using metal molds no longer needed for plastic toys, they released a racecar mini-kit which was to finance the production of their next plastic model. To their good fortune, it became a hit. They decided that the second plastic model was to be the Panzer Tank, which had a linear form which would make the molds simple to produce. They commissioned Shigeru Komatsuzaki to do the box art. The Panzer was motorized, moved well, and had an excellent instruction manual which made it easy to assemble. Because of this, it gained a good reputation. It was made in a 1/35 scale because it was decided that it would use a single TYPE 2 battery but would hold 2 of them.

Metal molds

At first, Tamiya produced metal molds, but had delays and unclear pricing, which led to trouble. Then they scouted metal mold craftsmen and in 1964 started their Metal Molds division. Starting in 1966, they transferred a number of craftsmen to the Mold Manufacturing Factory. They slowly gained the know-how and came to make molds for Tamiya. Today, CAD has also been introduced into the process.

Tamiya was known by their extremely high accuracy of their molds, and that influenced even the condition of the products after they were assembled. In a time when Tamiya manufactured plastic models using mold craftsmen's skills and earlier plans, other companies' products' detail bolts were represented by simple hemispheric protuberances while Tamiya represented bolts more accurately as hexagonal posts. This level of detail and thoroughness with which they produced their models earned them a reputation even overseas.

tar Mark

On the occasion of the release of Tamiya's first plastic model, Shunsaku Tamiya (son-in-law of Yojiro) commissioned his younger brother, Masao, then a student at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music Design Department, to create a new trademark. He created the Star Mark. At first it was decorated with English. In 1960 with the release of the slot car, the design was changed to its current form. Even now, the left, red star stands for passion and the right, blue star stands for precision.

Tamiya News and other publications

Tamiya News is published by Tamiya Model and is an informational, monthly publication about the company's own models. In 1967, when it was started, it was published bimonthly with an occasional special supplement. For a long time it cost 50 yen, but was later raised to 100 yen. The unique, thin publications were placed in envelopes and sent out via standard mail. Introductory articles on new products, model shops, model clubs, and conversions were included as were articles on famous and obscure modelers. A sister publication with articles focused on miniature vehicles and bullet racers and such, Tamiya Junior News exists as a free publication (It formerly cost 20 yen, but now is available for download as a PDF from Tamiya's website).

Other model related publications held doll conversion contests or scenic photo contests and then published the results in booklets.

Packaging

On early products (1961-1967), the box art corresponded to what they distributed. The box art was mainly done by Shigeru Komatsuzaki, Yoshiyuki Takani, and others. As Tamiya's goods' image and world view both broadened, their boxart, which had a feeling of "compositions of achievement" or "a story contained in a picture", became mainstream. This further enhanced its goods' image. However, after 1968's slot racer, products appeared without scenery on a white background. They had changed the boxart to be more accurate. This experiment turned out to be popular and after that Tamiya switched to the white package which had removed parts of models of airplanes and warships from the boxes. The boxart of Shigeru Komatsuzaki, which had contributed to the making of Tamiya's early image, has almost disappeared from Tamiya's products due to the change in box art strategies and discontinuation of products.

Some model tanks' box art included images of items not included in the box. When Tamiya began exporting these, indications of the possibility of applying false advertising laws started to become a problem. Tamiya dealt with this by erasing the items and retouching the backgrounds.

Representative models

The early Military Miniature Series differed from the western standard scales of the time and used 1/35 scale. The models included the option for the inclusion of batteries and a gear box for motorization. These models were easy to assemble, the completed models looked good, and the parts were accurate. These qualities gave the series a good reputation ever since it was released. However, the option for motorization meant that the models needed to be inaccurate in some respects in order to work as motorized kits. More scale-accurate products which did not allow for motorization were renewed after the Tiger I's later model.

After that, their excellent family of products was seen out into the world. Noticing other companies were imitating their ease of assembly and accuracy of parts, Tamiya went a step further and added deformities in order to make the finished models look better. On the other hand, some modellers felt these deformities were out of place. For example, they were unsure of why both Tamiya's and other companies' King Tiger coexisted in the marketplace. In 2004, the new 1/48 scale series began and World War items were released at a remarkable pace.

A small 1/700 Water Line Series proudly displayed Tamiya's skill. From when they started selling this series, there were many kits bearing their famous name. Even now, looking back at the past 10 years, these were not inferior products and excellent products were produced. Renewal kits in addition to polishing will have kept satisfaction high. Kihachiro Ueda, learned in naval vessels, handled most of the box art for the Water Line Series.

*Sports Car Series
*Grand Prix Series
*Motorcycle Series
*Minijet Series (after 2004, this was re-released as the Combat Plane Series)
*Warbird Collection

Timeline

*1960 - The Yamato, Tamiya's first plastic model
*1961 - Panzer Tank, Tamiya's first tank model. Shigeru Komatsuzaki's boxart becomes a hit.
*1967 - 1/12 Honda F-1. A success which left the mark of "Skillful Tamiya" on it via their accurate recreation of the original vehicle.
*1968 - 1/35 German Tank Soldier Set, the first in the Military Miniature Series.
*1972 - 1/35 88 Military Gun Flak 36/37. Tamiya produced models for diorama scenes, which garnered a large response.
*1976 - 1/12 Porsche 934. Tamiya actually purchased a Porsche 911, dismantled it, and rebuilt it in order to better understand the car.
*1986 - Hotshot Jr. The first in the Racer Mini Vehicle Series. It was a hit linked to the miniature vehicle boom.
*1989 - 1/35 Tiger I second rendition. Sold in a completely new form, triggered by the anniversary of a recall of the Military Miniature Series.
*1998 - 1/700 scale Yamato model is retooled using more modern technology to produce better molds.
*2006 - A special model was released in honor of Tamiya's RC Car Series 30th Anniversary. It was the Porsche 934 turbo RSR 30th Anniversary edition.

Main RC products

RC Cars

In 1976, Tamiya entered the RC market with their first RC model, the Porsche 934 Turbo RSR Now, having just passed the 30th Anniversary of the first Tamiya RC model, they are sold in markets both within the country and worldwide. Cultivating skill by all the RC cars they had made until now, they decided to revive the experience in a limited release of models to commemorate their 30 years in the RC business in December 2006. They recently released their flagship model, mustering all their skill into the Porsche Turbo RSR 934 Racing Edition, which had been a part of the developing phase of Tamiya's RC career.

Individual Wikipedia articles exist for each of the following models:Countach Competition Special, Super Champ, Ford F-150 Ranger, Toyota Hilux 4x4, Chevrolet Blazing Blazer, Hilux 4x4 High-lift, Mountaineer, Ford F-350 High-lift, Can-Am Lola Racing Master Mk.1, Subaru Brat, Lancia Rally, Grasshopper, Mighty Frog, Wild One, Hornet, Hotshot, Desert Gator, Sand Viper, Avante, Avante 2001, Top Force, Dyna Storm, Dark Impact, Keen Hawk, Avante Mk. II, Twin Detonator, Wild Dagger, Double Blaze, Blackfoot Xtreme, Clod Buster, TXT1, Tamtech Series, Terra Crusher, TNX (Tamiya), TNX 5.2R, Nitrage 5.2

Mini 4WD's Timeline

*Ford Ranger 4x4 (July 13, 1982 Mini 4WD) an early Mini 4WD, released at the same time as the Chevrolet Pickup 4x4
*Hotshot Jr. (June 16, 1986: Racing Mini 4WD) An early Racing Mini 4WD
*Avante Jr (December 15 1986: Racing Mini 4WD)said to be the first appearance of a mini 4WD for serious racing use. Also a famous car.
*Magnum Saber (September 7, 1994: Fully Cowled Mini 4WD) an early Fully Cowled machine, released at the same time as the Sonic Saber
*Nitro Thunder (November 18, 2005: Mini 4WD PRO) an early Mini 4WD PRO, released at the same time as Nitro Force

Association with Cave

In March 2005, Tamiya partnered with Cave, a game manufacturing company. Starting In June of the same year, they developed components for use in cell phones. Later, in November, they joined in releasing the Mini Vehicle PRO, and since October has established an informational site about miniature vehicles, which included the online game "Mini Vehicle Online Racer." At first, the service schedule was for spring 2006, but because of delays, official service was postponed to summer 2007.

On January 31, 2006, a spin-off business dealing with miniature vehicles was established jointly with Cave. It is called "MiniVehicle Networks Corporation." In July of the same year, the began a service, the "MINIon Club," a social networking site which also gave special deals on miniature vehicles.

Overseas subsidiaries

*Tamiya America, Inc.
*Tamiya Philippines, Inc.
*Tamiya Hong Kong, LTD
*Tamiya Europe, GmbH

Presently, over half of Tamiya's products are manufactured in the Philippines. Tamiya's 1/48 Mini Military AFV, complete even to the point where it was given weathering, aimed to expand the market for completed, painted models as was seen in the snack and toy boom. In order to accommodate that, Tamiya has about 1200 workers to make finished die cast models which are then shipped to hobby markets around the world.

Other

Tamiya produces components for boys' moving toys and models which are like their Fun-to-build Series, and also makes kits to make simple robots. Also included is the continuing older Mabuchi Motor, a popular product which runs in water.

In 1960, beginning with the Honda F1 (RA273), Tamiya dealt with many plastic models of Formula One. Because of that, the company decided to sponsor Team Lotus in f1|1991. Since 1976's Tyrrell P34, they paid royalties to the teams whose cars their models were based on. Because of the excellent quality of the finished products and so forth, they built strong relations with the teams to the point where even the teams' well guarded plans (CAD data) were shown only to Tamiya and no other model makers. However, recently this sort of arrangement has petered out and models are based on things like news photographs, and the demands for the royalties by the Formula One teams have risen. Thus, it is not easy to sell a new model in recent years.

Tamiya's drive to perfect their models' appearance began in 1966 with a visit to the Aberdeen Tank Museum, Maryland. Because no pictures or sketches of the classified tanks were permitted, as soon as the people from Tamiya left the grounds they sketched all they could remember.

Product lines

Facilities

Tamiya has several large regional divisions, notably in Aliso Viejo, California, home of "Tamiya America," the North, Central and South American branch responsible for many of the company's racing developments. Tamiya America also features a world-class racing facility which is the site of several world championship events. As of August 2007, the North American headquarters has moved from Aliso Viejo, California to Irvine, California. An assembly plant is located in the Philippines, and Germany is the home of "Tamiya Europe's" operations.

Mascot

Between 1984 to 1989, Tamiya had its own mascot called "Plastic Model Moko-chan", who has a rabbit sidekick called Rabbi-kun (プラモ "Puramo") and sometimes they were titled "Moko-chan no (and) Rabbi-kun" (プラモのモ子ちゃん "Puramo no Moko-chan"). Drawn by manga artist Fujita Yukihisa, they usually appeared in various Japanese language pamphlets and in comics with Japan-released Tamiya models. They would teach kids about the various models they were building and there was even a series on how to build them, all in a comic format as well as its only bilingual series of leaflets titled "RC Lecture By Moko Chan" (モ子ちゃんRC講座), teaching children RC car care and maintenance. Despite being out of use by Tamiya, the characters still have a large following with devotees. In the instructions of some plastic 1/35 scale tanks, a tank crewman usually gives tips.

Trivia

*From the time when Tamiya released their Ferrari 312B 1/12 car of the early 1970s to the Peugeot 405 T16 Paris-Dakar rally car of 1989, many of their model cars released at that time has been driven by Jacky Ickx during his professional career.

Competitors

*Academy Plastic Model Co.
*Aoshima Bunka Kyozai Co.
*Dragon Models Limited DML.
*Hasegawa
*Kyosho

ee also

*IPMS, International Plastic Modellers' Society
*AMPS, Armor Modeling and Preservation Society
*Model military vehicle
*Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!!
*Dash! Yonkuro
*Mini 4WD
*Model car

References

*田宮俊作著『田宮模型をつくった人々』文藝春秋刊 2004年9月発行　ISBN 4163662502

External links

* [http://www.tamiya.com/japan/j-home.htm Official page with links to Tamiya Japanese sites]
* [http://www.tamiya.com Official page with links to Tamiya worldwide sites]
* [http://www.rocousa.com/tamiya.htm U.S.A. Distributor]